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How Can I Help Therapy Clients Understand the Difference Between Therapy and Coaching?
By being crystal clear about what you’re offering and how it helps.
Clients often assume that anything labeled “therapy” is covered by insurance. Here’s how to draw a clear and empowering distinction:
Therapy is:
- Designed for clinical treatment.
- Focused on mental health diagnoses.
- Often past-oriented or insight-based.
- Guided by symptom reduction goals.
Growth-focused work, such as Coaching, is:
- Goal-oriented and future-focused.
- No diagnosis required.
- Emphasizes action, accountability, and forward momentum.
- Great for motivated, high-functioning individuals seeking transformation.
I often explain it this way:
“Coaching helps you get clear on what you want and then take actionable steps to move forward. It’s goal-oriented, future-focused, and designed to create real change.”
Here’s a deeper dive into coaching ethics for therapists.
How Do I Stop Feeling Guilty About Charging Self Pay Therapy Rates?
Therapist, listen: your time, training, and energy are valuable.
We therapists are often conditioned by years of underpaid internships and agency work to believe that earning a good living is somehow “wrong.” But here’s the truth:
Let’s reframe the narrative:
- You’re not charging for your time.
- You’re charging for the results your time helps create.
- You’re not just being paid. You’re being entrusted.
And remember: you’re modeling healthy boundaries and self-worth. That alone is therapeutic.
I have a great podcast episode on financial therapy for therapists here.
What Should I Say When Clients Push Back on Paying Out of Pocket?
Get grounded in the truth of your value to adjust your relationship to your fee—and help them see it too.
When clients hesitate, it’s often because:
- They haven’t yet internalized the value of what you offer.
- They’re comparing based on cost, not outcome.
Here’s a script that can shift the dynamic:
“You could absolutely use your insurance to see someone else. But if you’re looking for insight and action—a deep understanding plus a concrete plan to create the life you want—that’s what I specialize in. This work is about growth, not just symptom relief.”
Follow up with specific examples:
- The types of goals you help clients reach.
- What makes your approach different.
- How clients describe the outcomes of working with you.
This is not about convincing. It’s about clarity.
You can learn more about messaging and how to market yourself as a therapist on this podcast episode or through my free CEU-accredited training Build and Market Your Therapy Private Practice.
Is Being a Self Pay Therapist Worth It?
YES. A million times yes. Here’s what you gain as a self pay therapist:
- Freedom to do the kind of work you love.
- Flexibility in how you structure sessions and pricing.
- Financial success to support your own well-being.
- Clients who are motivated and invested in the process.
Of course, stepping into the self pay therapy model requires a few foundational shifts:
- You need to truly believe in the value of what you offer. Confidence in your worth as a provider is essential if you’re going to ask clients to invest in themselves through you.
- You need to develop clear, consistent messaging about what you do, who you serve, and why it’s effective.
- You must stay deeply rooted in ethical alignment—always being honest about what you’re offering and staying within your scope of competence.
But in return? You build a practice that feels aligned, fulfilling, and deeply impactful.
How Can I Attract Self Pay Therapy Clients?
If you’re longing for a practice that aligns with your passion for growth work—it might be time for a new approach.
In my BCC-Accredited Coaching Certification for Therapists, I guide licensed clinicians just like you to:
- Ethically expand beyond the limitations of the insurance model
- Work confidently with self-pay clients who are motivated and ready to change
- Learn the language, structure, and mindset of transformational coaching psychology
- Build a sustainable practice doing the work you actually want to do with your dream clients.
This program is BCC-accredited and rewards up to 50 CE hours. Come learn how to create a thriving, ethical, and fulfilling practice from someone who’s walked this road.
👉 Enroll by 7/14 to take advantage of our current Expert Experience summer bonus: a free month of coaching client referrals to your private practice. Learn more here.
And hey—if we haven’t connected on LinkedIn yet, let’s do so! I’d love to follow your journey, cheer you on, and swap notes on what’s working (and what’s not) in our evolving world of therapy and coaching. Come say hi and connect with me right here.
Xoxo
Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby
P.S. If this article helped you, think about who else needs to read it. Forward it to a friend, share it with your colleagues, or drop it in your favorite consultation circle. Let’s keep lifting each other up.
Resources:
Allen, A. (1971). The fee as a therapeutic tool. The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 40(1), 132-140. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/21674086.1971.11926555
Shipton, B., & Spain, A. (1981). Implications of payment of fees for psychotherapy. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 18(1), 68. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1982-26248-001
Myers, K. (2008). Show Me the Money: (The “Problem” of) the Therapist’s Desire, Subjectivity, and Relationship to the Fee. Contemporary Psychoanalysis, 44(1), 118-140. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00107530.2008.10745956
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